CHICAGO | General Developments

[Mr Downtown]

The tentative talks I've had with the project team—ones where they can't officially say anything—make me quite hopeful about the urban design aspects of the project I still call (until further notice) Riverside Park. Related Midwest is envisioning high density; the kind of density that really requires rail transit. With enough money, it would be possible to put a Red Line station at 16th & Clark, but will that actually happen? Or will we end up in an Illinois Center/Cityfront Center situation where for decades we anticipate transit that never actually arrives?

[spyguy]

Speaking of, the project at Harrison and Wells is looking pretty unimpressive. ~350 apartments in twin 14 story buildings, right next to the CBD.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Speaking of, the project at Harrison and Wells is looking pretty unimpressive. ~350 apartments in twin 14 story buildings, right next to the CBD.

Which corner? The one adjacent to River South?

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Speaking of, the project at Harrison and Wells is looking pretty unimpressive. ~350 apartments in twin 14 story buildings, right next to the CBD.

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Which corner? The one adjacent to River South?

Harrison and Wells??

One corner is Vetra, one corner is a park. The other two corners are the long for sale plot on the SW, on the NE is the surface level lot that the last I heard was going to be a hotel, but I haven't heard much about that for awhile.

[JK47]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

The tentative talks I've had with the project team—ones where they can't officially say anything—make me quite hopeful about the urban design aspects of the project I still call (until further notice) Riverside Park. Related Midwest is envisioning high density; the kind of density that really requires rail transit. With enough money, it would be possible to put a Red Line station at 16th & Clark, but will that actually happen? Or will we end up in an Illinois Center/Cityfront Center situation where for decades we anticipate transit that never actually arrives?

That little parcel around 15th and Clark looks like a good spot for a station house. Not sure how things would be sited at 16th since that would put it directly under a complicated looking rail junction. I wonder what Related Midwest plans to do with all the rail that's running along the southern and eastern boundaries of their parcel.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

The tentative talks I've had with the project team—ones where they can't officially say anything—make me quite hopeful about the urban design aspects of the project I still call (until further notice) Riverside Park. Related Midwest is envisioning high density; the kind of density that really requires rail transit. With enough money, it would be possible to put a Red Line station at 16th & Clark, but will that actually happen? Or will we end up in an Illinois Center/Cityfront Center situation where for decades we anticipate transit that never actually arrives?

Ideally, the city would build a Clinton Street subway for the Red Line and a new station could be built here just east of the river bridges. This site would only be a short 2-stop ride from the Metra terminals then, which might even make office use here feasible in addition to residential.

Clearly that will never happen, and Related is probably eyeing a mostly residential community here. Admittedly any infill station in this area is going to face engineering challenges because of curved and/or sloping track, but it would probably be cheaper/easier to build an elevated infill station on the Orange Line at 18th/Wentworth than to build an underground station at 16th/Clark. That has the side benefit of linking Chinese communities further southwest with actual Chinatown, plus it would give Riverside South residents a convenient ride to Midway and to downtown jobs. If Brown/Orange are ever through-routed, they would have crosstown service as well.

[Mr Downtown]

At Harrison & Wells: remember that Riverline does not include the parcel right at the southwest corner. That has a different owner.

At Riverside Park, Related is talking about a significant office component, but I don't understand where they think the demand would come from. We heard the same thing from Walsh Higgins 20 years ago about LaSalle Park, and that ended up with no office at all.

Yes, I should have said 15th (not 16th) & Clark for a Red Line station, though Related will also be trying to move the Metra tracks west. Instead of running right next to Clark, they'd be in the middle of the property. That makes a huge amount of sense, and is the idea I've been promoting for 30 years. It would have been a lot easier 15 years ago, but there are still no physical barriers, just political ones (dealing with Metra).

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

At Harrison & Wells: remember that Riverline does not include the parcel right at the southwest corner. That has a different owner.

.

Right, the question is that the poster I was replying to suggested that there are two 14 stories planned for the corner. The only options are the parking lot that I thought was going to be a hotel, last I heard, and the orphaned corner that will be surrounded by Riveline. Is something actually is the works for that? The For Sale sign is still there, although in the process of collapsing, and the entire lot has a distinctly unkempt look to it.

[Ned.B]

Originally Posted by Jim in Chicago

Right, the question is that the poster I was replying to suggested that there are two 14 stories planned for the corner. The only options are the parking lot that I thought was going to be a hotel, last I heard, and the orphaned corner that will be surrounded by Riveline. Is something actually is the works for that? The For Sale sign is still there, although in the process of collapsing, and the entire lot has a distinctly unkempt look to it.

Back in late 2014 our office was working on a proposal for a 55 story mixed-use hotel and apartment tower at that corner with a parking garage and 12 story apartment building covering the south remainder of the site. But that project has most definitely died.

[spyguy]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Which corner? The one adjacent to River South?

SW corner.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by spyguy

SW corner.

Very silly and lame, but if it's good design whatever. There is plenty of vacant land to mop up downtown.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Ideally, the city would build a Clinton Street subway for the Red Line and a new station could be built here just east of the river bridges. This site would only be a short 2-stop ride from the Metra terminals then, which might even make office use here feasible in addition to residential.

Clearly that will never happen, and Related is probably eyeing a mostly residential community here. Admittedly any infill station in this area is going to face engineering challenges because of curved and/or sloping track, but it would probably be cheaper/easier to build an elevated infill station on the Orange Line at 18th/Wentworth than to build an underground station at 16th/Clark. That has the side benefit of linking Chinese communities further southwest with actual Chinatown, plus it would give Riverside South residents a convenient ride to Midway and to downtown jobs. If Brown/Orange are ever through-routed, they would have crosstown service as well.

Paris has some curved/sloping stations. Boston has at least one sloping station (Maverick on the Blue Line).

I've always thought that having the Orange Line head north just west of Clark would be a good way to bring mass transit into that undeveloped land, and connecting at the VanBuren/Wells corner of the Loop. I don't know what that would do for operations, though.

[ithakas]

Originally Posted by emathias

Paris has some curved/sloping stations. Boston has at least one sloping station (Maverick on the Blue Line).

I've always thought that having the Orange Line head north just west of Clark would be a good way to bring mass transit into that undeveloped land, and connecting at the VanBuren/Wells corner of the Loop. I don't know what that would do for operations, though.

I've always thought adding an Orange Line station near the area would make a lot of sense, but I like the idea of putting it at Cermak/Canal, so it's close to the Spice Barrel District – with a nice base of industrial buildings and a good amount of empty land, it could be a terrific hybrid arts district/office area.

Related not working to get a red line station at '78' seems like it would be penny wise but pound foolish, given the scale of their ambitions described in the Tribune feature...

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by ithakas

Related not working to get a red line station at '78' seems like it would be penny wise but pound foolish, given the scale of their ambitions described in the Tribune feature...

Related has expressed in the article back in May that they want a Red Line and a Metra station for the site, although they haven't discussed with CTA or Metra about the plans.

[LouisVanDerWright]

In other words:

"Mayor proposes outright ban on middle class within city limits"

All the ARO does is make it impossible for developers to build anything less than luxury housing since they will have to include subsidized units for the poor and offset that cost with more expensive non subsidized units. The most useful thing they could do is allow widespread upzoning...

[the urban politician]

Time to jack up the rents!

Actually I've been moderately successful through my attorney at appealing taxes. So I'm paying less than I would have to.

Chicago should thank me. I'm the kind of person who Chicago needs to thrive. You're welcome, Rahm and Toni and, my favorite of them all--the beloved Mike Madigan. Long live the Speaker!

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

All the ARO does is make it impossible for developers to build anything less than luxury housing since they will have to include subsidized units for the poor and offset that cost with more expensive non subsidized units. The most useful thing they could do is allow widespread upzoning...

How dare you propose taking away Aldermanic privilege? Dios mio!!

It is a God-given right for an elected official to profit handsomely (as well as build a career at it) from their position in Government.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

In other words:

"Mayor proposes outright ban on middle class within city limits"

All the ARO does is make it impossible for developers to build anything less than luxury housing since they will have to include subsidized units for the poor and offset that cost with more expensive non subsidized units. The most useful thing they could do is allow widespread upzoning...

Chicago History - this is just a faint echo of the past.

[OhioGuy]

The hottest neighborhood you've never heard of
Crain's Chicago Business | By DANNY ECKER
August 26, 2017

Milan Rubenstein was nervous when he spent $19 million on a slew of mostly vacant properties on the Near South Side three years ago. Historic Motor Row on South Michigan Avenue and the area surrounding the McCormick Place convention center were so plagued by developmental false starts that even a new CTA train stop, 10,387-seat arena, 40-story hotel and a vow from the city of Chicago to transform the neighborhood into an entertainment district were no guarantee that his big bet would pay off.

"I was scared to death," says the partner at Windy City RE, which has historically specialized in buying and selling apartment complexes but splurged on mixed-use properties on and near Motor Row in 2013 and '14. Beyond the money he spent to purchase the properties, he had to spend millions more to fix them up. "Now I'm no longer scared. I'm very excited."

Motivated in part by the addition of Wintrust Arena and the 1,206-room Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel set to open in coming weeks, Rubenstein has in the past 18 months signed more than 15 leases with businesses to fill his retail and office space. His historic properties that once housed auto showrooms but sat empty for years have been filled in recent months with tenants that hint at gentrification: bars, restaurants, a day care, a boutique gym and even a dog grooming business. Residential units above the retail properties are getting snapped up as well, some for 20 percent more than he underwrote them for when he purchased the properties three or four years ago, he says.

These are early signals that the entertainment hot spot he envisions for the area with year-round activity instead of ebbs and flows of traffic from convention-goers may be starting to form—though the road ahead is still long.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by harryc

Chicago History - this is just a faint echo of the past.

Moreno is the second coming of good ole hinkey dink Kenna!